A Legend of Montrose

The ninth historical novel by Walter Scott, and different from previous volumes in that the book is more of a history with a fictional background, than the reverse.
The book tells the story of some of the events of 1644-5 in the portion of the Civil War fought out in the Highlands, with Montrose and Argyle as the leading figures.
I found the book a satisfying read, giving good background of an interesting time in Scottish political and social development, with a fictional overlay. Scott continues to weave quirky characters into his books - this time it is Dugald Dalgetty, a Scottish mercenary, who plays a Falstaffian role - furthering the plot while providing humour.

There are two stories in this volume, the longer one being the Legend of Montrose, the second and shorter one being the Black Dwarf. As is typical of Scott, both take their inspiration from historical events and/or characters, and wonderfully recreate the cultural milieu of Scottish folk lore and custom, contemporary political intrigues, and dramatic natural environments.
The title of the Legend of Montrose takes place during the English civil war. It is a tale of highland clans, battles, and daring escapades, not without a touch of comedy (though this is stretched somewhat beyond its bounds), as well as a good love triangle plot.
The Black Dwarf I thought was a better story in some regards, or at least more memorable, and has some show more excellent characters and atmosphere in it. As Scott states in the introduction, this story was hastily wrapped up, hence its short length, due to some criticism he had on the earlier drafts of it. As he is prone to being a bit long-winded, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but what there is here is in no way inferior to many of his more well-known works in my opinion. show less

Thistle Edition